


Ready, Steady, Bake

by Rhubarb_Custard



Category: Killing Eve (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Great British Bake Off - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-14 19:42:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28800777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhubarb_Custard/pseuds/Rhubarb_Custard
Summary: Ever wondered what would happen in the AU where Eve and Oksana are both contestants on Channel 4s Great British Bake off? No? Maybe give this a go anyway!
Relationships: Eve Polastri/Villanelle | Oksana Astankova
Comments: 17
Kudos: 73





	1. Chapter 1

Eve stared up at the historic building in front of her the "Sir Christopher Wren Hotel" was a stunning 4 star riverside hotel in Berkfordshire set on a cobbled street by Eton Bridge with views of the River Thames.The cab driver deoposited Eves suitcase on the curb and cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Right, sorry" Eve handed over a £10 note "Thank you, you can keep the change" she added with a smile.

Eve arrived at the hotel at 4 o clock to allow time for an early dinner and a bath before getting her head down for an early night. She knew from the itinary she was given that she would be collected at 7.30 the next morning to be at the studio to get miced up at 8am. The weather man said the forecast was for another hot and humid day tomorrow. 

Eve took one more quick glance around her surroundings, soaking in the late summer sun and stepped into the foyer and up towards the reception desk pulling her suitcase behind her and was equal parts impressed and intimiated. The interier of the hotel was just as grand as it seemed from the outside, carved marble pillars, chandeliers and thick pile patterned carpet as far as the eye could see. Eve glanced down at herself self-conciously, if she'd known she would have wore a nicer shirt, and definaty not her Sketchers. Seated behind the reception desk was a woman probably in her mid-20s with chestnut brown hair pulled up into a high poneytail, dressed in a crisp white shirt and green bow-tie. She smiled welcomingly but Eve felt like an imposter, out of place here as someone more used to staying in a Travel Lodge or Premier Inn.

"Madam - We ask that you wear a face covering in all public areas of the hotel" She pointed a manacured finger at a sign mounted to the perspex glass seperating them.

"Oh shit, sorry" Great start Eve thought rummaging through her bag to grab her mask and slipping it on over her mouth and nose securing the loops behind her ears, careful not to snag her hair in the process. 

"No problem. We're all having to adapt to the new normal arent we" she added with a genuine smile. "Checking in?”

"Yes, the booking should be under Eve Polastri, P-O-L-A-S-T-R-I"

The brunette tapped a couple of keys on the computor and her eyebrows knitted together "I'm sorry i cant seem to find your booking. Could it be under another name or Company?”

"Uh, I’m not sure, the booking was made by Channel 4"

"Oh!" the girl gasped excitedly "Are you with the filming crew?”

Eve felt her eyebrows shoot up to meet her hairline “I'm one of the contestants actaully"

"How exciting, I'll see you on the Television then?”

Eve nodded "Hopefully, we're lucky its still going ahead with all this going on"

"Oh I bet" the girl half-smiled sympathetically

Eve had applied every year for the past 5 but this was the first time she'd even gotten a call-back. The audition process was intense with an initial 5 page questionare to complete then she was required to submit picures of her bakes and some videos of herself cooking at home. Then there was a day in East London where one at a time applicants were called to a room with a small commercial kitchen in it and asked to do a short blind "technical" bake. In front of a camera and small crew, all the while explaining what she was doing and why. When she received the call back from Love Productions to tell her she had been successful she had been in stunned silence for over an hour and hadnt told anyone but Niko for 2 weeks, too scared to jinx it. 

"We all have to get tested each morning before filming can start, cant say im looking forward to a daily cotton bud up the nose" The girl smiled awkwardly and tapped away on the computer a couple of times.

"Okay your in room 23, very nice room with gorgous views of the river" she said as she handed over the keycard "You'll HAVE to tell me what hes like"

"Who?”

"Paul!" She gasped. Clearly a fan of the terrifying blue eyed judge. 

Eve laughed "Sure"

"Okay the lift is out of order, stairs are back the way you came, down the right hand corridor, please stay on the left hand side of the staircase and maintain a distance of at least 2 meters from any other guests or members of staff. The welcome pack in your room has the WiFi password, a list of local amenities and will explain the arrangments for Breakfast. Any questions?”

"No, thank you" Eves eyes dropped to the girls name badge "Harriet, you’ve been very thorough”

"Enjoy your stay" the girl shouted after Eve as she made her way to the staircase, now cursing herself for having brought nearly all the clothes she owned with her, plus some new items hastily bought as the temperature rose and Eve realised her usual turtle necks and jumpers just wouldn’t do. 

By the time Eve reached the top of the staircase she was hot, sweaty and annoyed. Should a hotel this grand not have a bell boy to do this sort of thing? Eve followed the signs a short way along the corridor until she found her room, she was slipping the key card into the slot when she heard a commotion in the stairwell behind her.

"Yob tvoyu mat!"

Eve spun round to see a young woman with honey blonde hair struggling to bump an enormous suitcase up the steps behind her. With one last heave she pulled the suitcase onto the carpeted corridor, checked the key card in her hand and headed towards Eve. She glanced at Eve then back down to the key in her hand before her dark hazel eyes darted back up, her gase was intense. Eve felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand to attention.

"Sorry, i didnt realise anyone was here... standing in the corridor" the blonde said in perfect accented English, Eatern European maybe.

"I was just about to go into my room when i heard.. you"

"Yeah well, the lifts out of order and i brought a lot of clothes. This thing weighs a ton" she said as she kicked her suitcase with the heel of her foot "22" the woman confirmed as she stood outside of the room next door to Eve "Looks like we're neighbours" she added with a wink.

Eve felt herself blush which was rediculous, the girl was obviously just being friendly but she was strikingly beautiful and it was unnerving “Are you here with Channel 4 too?”

"Yeah, I'm Oksana" she slipped her hands into the pockets of her tailored suit trousers "Do you come with a name" Eve knew she was staring, why couldnt she stop staring.

"Eve, Eve Polastri”

"Eve, Eve Polastri” Eve appreciated the way Oksanas accent curled around her name "Are you part of the crew?”

Eve bit the inside of her cheek "No, I'm one of the contestants"

"Well then, may the best woman win. I'm going to take a freshen up and get changed, do you want to share a cab to the meet and greet"

"Meet and greet?” Eve asked as she ran her hands through her ever expanding maine of hair, damn this humiditiy. The blondes gaze followed Eves hand and there was that intense stare again. Eve shuffled awkwardly from one foot to the other.

"Yeah Mark posted about it in the Whatsap group"

Eve pulled her phone from her bag and her brow furrowed in confusion.

"May I" Oksana asked slipping the phone from Eves hand, her gaze registering Eves wedding ring and her head cocking slightly to one side, pressing a few buttons and handing it back "There". Wow she smelled good, Eve would need to ask her later what her perfume was, or maybe that’s her natural smell. It would be pretty weird to ask if it was. 

Eve squinted at the screen, there it was "GBBBO 2020 Contenstants Group Chat"

"Thanks, shit - 110 notifications!"

"Yeah, looks like a chatty bunch. I'll come collect you at 6.30 then?”

Eve slipped her phone back into her bag "Sounds good. See you then"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your lovely comments and Kudos on chapter 1 I’m glad so many of you are on board with this idea (no pressure then 😝)

Oksana leaned against the doorframe while Eve threw a few essentials in her clutch. Eve had showered and changed into a blouse and trailered trousers, this was the closest to “going out” she had done for a long time and especially since lockdown began. She had been furloughed from her job and was more than ready to escape the 4 walls of her and Nikos home and see some new faces. 

Oksana clicked a couple of buttons on her phone and announced “Ubers here, ready?”

Eve took one last glance into the mirror, she had forgotten to bring her tangle teaser so her hair was even more unruly than usual. She ran her fingers through it self-consciously, sighed and gathered it up into a pony tail with her hand, slipping a hair-tie over her voluminous locks “Yeah let’s go”

“Wear it down” Eve hadn’t heard Oksana step into the room, she stood behind her, their eyes met in the mirror and she held Eve with an intense gaze. 

****

“So do you always take your wedding ring off when you go out socialising?” Oksana said with a smirk crossing one elegant leg over the other and sinking back into the leather seat of the car. The blonde was wearing a tailored black suit jacket and black and white pin-striped trousers, looking a bit like Beatlejuices Russian love child but pulling it off effortlessly. 

Eve looked down at her own hands resting in her lap “Oh, no not normally, constant washing and hand sanitiser have dried my skin to shit and caused a eczema flare up so I left it off” 

“Would your husband or your wife mind?”

“Husband” Eve answered too quickly.

Oksana tilted her head and the corners of her mouth quirked into a smile. Shit, Eve probably shouldn’t spend so long staring at her eyes,her lips and breathing in her perfume it was sending all the wrong signals. 

Eve cleared her throat “What about you?”

Oksana laughed “Young free and single, I like to travel a lot” she added with a shrug “I don’t want to change my lifestyle” 

“We’ll take it from me, make the most of it now before you know it you’ll be like me - old, tied down and married”

Oksana laughed outloud at this and slapped a hand on her thigh “I like you Eve. Your funny”

The rest of the journey to the venue was spend in comfortable silence, Eve watched the buildings pass out of the window and Oksana who had the better view of the rolling countryside and quant cottages. 

The meet and greet was held at the Royal Windsor Racecourse. They signed in at the desk and were pointed towards a function room with “GBBO2020” on the door, handed a glass of Prosecco and told to mingle and enjoy themselves for an hour or so before the presentation at 8 o clock. Eve felt the urge to cling on to Oksana, the only person she knew and felt half way comfortable with but with a quick wave Oksana was away, charming everyone she met.

The open bar meant that by the time a young hipster with a top knot and a bum bag stepped into the small stage and started tapping on a microphone to draw everyone’s attention the room was a buzz with excited chatter.

“Good evening everyone. I’m glad to see you all getting to know eachother before we start filming tomorrow. I just have a few housekeeping rules to go through then I’ll let you get back to it” he looked back down to the paper in his hand and pushed has glasses back up his nose “Okay, because of COVID restrictions as you all know you’ll be isolated in your retrospective hotels for the next 6 weeks. You will be given a rapid test each day, the first of which will be tonight. Because all contestants and crew are isolating your free to socialise within the bake off bubble as you like but please no bedroom swapping - yes it has happened before! You can stay in touch with your families by phone and FaceTime but should have no in person contact with them to safeguard us all. Enjoy the free bar, but not too much because the competition starts tomorrow! Thank you” he stepped down from the stage to a roar of applause.

Eve had found herself sitting by the bar and chatting with an older man with salt and pepper hair who was perhaps in his 50s, she found his name was Bill and he was married too and had a young daughter at home. He had the typical dry British wit and had Eve hanging on his every word as he told his anecdotes. Luckily Eve had built up a good tolerance to alcohol during her marriage to Niko because by the time a young women who introduced herself as Eleana had joined them Eve was 2 glasses of Prosecco and 4 G&Ts (or was it 5?) deep.   
Bill and Eleana were chattering excitedly about the benefits of French vs Italian meringue as Eve took in the room around her. Her eyes locked on Oksana across the room talking to a younger woman with her back to Eve. Oksana pulled a face toward Eve and she laughed outloud, ran a hand through her loose locks and turned back to join the conversation with her fellow contestants. 

A couple more G&Ts later and Eves head was starting to swim, she ordered a water from the bar and felt a warm hand on her shoulder. 

“Hi Eve” Oksana joined the group, her arm slung casually around the waist of a young woman called Nadia. Nadia was a petite brunette with an accent similar to Oksanas, she told them she was Russian, living in London for the past 8 years and working at a cafe in Camden Town before being furloughed. Eve nodded along as best she could but before long she was ready for her bed. 

“I’m going to head back to the hotel now, I need my beauty sleep”

Oksana nodded “Fine. I’m done for the night too”

“You don’t have to leave on account of me, stay and enjoy yourself” Eve smiled

Oksana turned to Nadia, spoke to her in what Eve assumed must be Russian, turned back and smiled “No, let’s go”

If the taxi ride from the hotel had been spend in comfortable silence the taxi ride home could only be described as awkward silence. Eve attempted to rest her eyes and transport herself to her happy place, trying to hardest to drown out the sounds of whispered flirting and giggling of the two woman who’s wriggling had her half way pinned against the door of their Uber. Their fingers locked and Oksana brought them to her mouth and nipped at them with her teeth. The Uber driver caught Eves eye in the rear view mirror and raised his eyebrows. Eve rolled hers eyes in acknowledgment.

“See you in the morning” Eve yawned as she slipped her room card into the slot and opened her door. 

“Goodnight Eve” Oksana said as she pulled Nadia through the door to her hotel room. The door closed behind her and the giggling started again. Eve changed, brushed her teeth and fired off a quick courtesy text to Niko, then she let sleep take her over. 

Eve rolled into her back and pulled her pillow around her ears, as she checked her watch (3am, eugh) she cursed the person who thought having both beds pushed up against the adjoining wall was a good idea. The constant banging of the headboard and squeaking of bed springs was bad enough but the constant moaning and groaning from her neighbour was bordering on obnoxious. What exactly where they doing in there, probably best not to think about that.

****

“Welcome to The Great British Bake off 2020!” Eve joined the other contestants and the crew in clapping, cheering and whooping. “This week is... Biscuit week! For your signature bake Pru and Paul would like you to make 12 filled biscuits, you could make a sandwich biscuit, filled cookies or even jammie dodgers! These can be any flavour combination you like and you will have 2 hours. Are you ready?”

“Ready, Steady, Bake!” Matt and Noel chorused in unison.


	3. Chapter 3

Eve smoothed her hand down her apron and grabbed jars of flour and sugar to start measuring out her ingredients. Her tactic was to try and forget about the the cameras and bake as she would in her own kitchen. Eve was at her happiest when she was in the kitchen. She just felt - peaceful. There was something about taking raw ingredients and creating something that was therapeutic and rewarding. She cooked with her mother as a child and learned to make traditional Korean desserts like Dasik and Chapssaltteok, when she moved to England from the US and met Niko she brought all of her annotated cook books with her and fell in love with English afternoon tea culture. She learned to make clotted cream fudge, jams and curds then moved on to cakes and pastries which made her very popular with Nikos colleagues at the school and their friends and neighbours who were always being asked to be guinea pigs for this and that new recipe. Eve even suffered through a short stint as a member of the local WI but the less said about that the better.   
A flash of blonde hair in her peripheral vision caught her eye, Oksana who had chosen the workbench to her left was helping Nadia into her apron, hands bracketed around her waist tying it off for her. Queue more giggling and Eve rolled her eyes, maybe this was their tactic - to pick off the competition one at a time through sleep deprivation. After being specifically told the previous night about the rules against bed-sharing Eve was a bit surprised at their blatant flirting - not to mention the many clauses within their contacts with Channel 4. Nadia finally slithered off back to her own workbench (directly behind Oksana, of course) and Eve chanced another glance towards the blonde who must have registered the disapproving look she was giving and countered with a wink.  
Eve took a deep breath, putting the Online Yoga and Mindfullness Course (which she had signed up for through Groupon) into practice. She inhaled and imagined she was drawing the air through the soles of her feet, up through her legs and her body. In for the count of 4, hold for 4 and exhale for 4.

“Hi Eve”

Eve opened her eyes and choked the breath out of her body oh my god there they were, Pru and Paul both smiling at her (not to mention to camera now focused on her face) 

“What are you baking for us today?” Pru asked 

“I...” Eve stuttered, feeling more than a bit flustered and starstruck. “I’m making my own take on an Oreo biscuit. I grew up in the USA so they were a favourite treat in my childhood, they’ll be flavoured with spiced apple and cinnamon - a nod to my husband who’s a teacher” 

Paul’s face was steely and unreadable but Pru hummed in approval “Sounds intriguing, thanks Eve, looking forward to tasting them” 

Eve smiled and as the pair moved to the bench behind her to speak to bill she hastily measured out the ingredients for her biscuit mix and pre-heated her oven. She mixed the dry ingredient together and moved the bowl over to the stand mixer, with some fiddling she got the bowl in place but as she turned on the machine flour cascaded out of the bowl covering her and her workbench.

“Fucker!” Eve called out

“Cut!” One of the producers shouted and Eve felt all eyes on her, she held her floured hands up in apology and felt her cheeks burning. She turned and mouthed a genuine “Sorry” to Pru, Paul and poor Bill who had been half way though explaining his plans to make Chocolate stuffed shortbread to the judges. 

“This is a family show Eve” Eve jumped, she hadn’t realised Oksana had made a move to stand beside her.

“Jesus you have a light step”

Oksana laughed at that “You’re not the first person to say that. I think in another life I would have made a very good assassin” 

Eve hummed noncommittally as she struggled with the stand mixer, she needed to get this done and in the Oven to allow enough time for the biscuits to cool and then there was the filling and of course the decoration. She groaned as she clicked through the settings, finally financing the correct one, adding her eggs and setting the mixer away to reach to right consistency. She turned to see the blonde leaning against the countertop smirking at her.

“Did you actually want something?”

“Oh! Yes! I have something for you” Oksana reaches inside her apron and presented a small tube of lotion “Hand cream” she offered as an explanation. 

Eve felt her shoulders relax, Oksana had remembered what she had said about her sore dry hands “Oh, thank you” she took it from the younger woman and tucked it into her pocket.

“No problem” Oksana shrugged “Good luck Eve”

“You too” Eve smiled, quite touched by the gesture and seeing this softer side to the blonde.

“Oh I don’t need luck. I’m quite brilliant” Oksana shouted over her shoulder as she sauntered back to her own bench, biting into one of Eves apples as she went.

“Asshole” Eve whispered under her breath.

****

There they were sat shoulder to shoulder as Pru and Paul entered the tent and perused the offerings in front of them. The technical had been a bitch, Eve had never made Coconut Macaroons before, the instructions were basic but she was proud of her finished product. Looking at the table she thought it would be close between her bake and the one Oksana had made. Bill was left feeling as deflated as his macaroons looked - he’d made the fatal error or over-whipping his egg whites beyond the critical stiff-peaks stage. Eleana had fared better but had taken a risk and melted her chocolate in the microwave because she was pushed for time and the result was a lumpy semi-burned coating that Paul described as “almost inedible”. Nadia who probably spent too much of the allotted 90 minutes staring at the back of Oksanas head didn’t manage to get hers out of the oven in time to cook and decorate so hers were without chocolate or cherries and she came in last place. 

Pru and Paul spoke in hushed whispers, it was between Oksana and Eve for first place. Eves heart was hammering in her chest and her knee bounced up and down while they deliberated.

“Stop” Oksana placed a hand on Eves thigh, she stopped bouncing and stared at Oksanas hand, long slender fingers flexed as they remained there for a beat or two longer than was probably decent.

“It’s a tough one, but there has to be a winner. In second place is... this one” Paul pointed at Eves “who does this belong to?”

She raised her hand 

“Really good effort Eve, another 1 or 2 minutes in the oven and it would have been perfect, but this one was the clear winner for me” he pointed towards the plate behind Oksanas picture. “Well done Oksana, this was one of the best Coconut Macaroons I’ve ever eaten, excellent work”

Eve joined the others in clapping to congratulate Oksana who bumped Eves elbow and under the noise of the applause, smirk firmly in place whispered “Sorry Baby”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for all the love, GBBO and Killing Eve are my two favourites so this just made sense, it’s been really fun to write. Let me know what you like, what you don’t. Any suggestions for baking puns are obviously also welcome.
> 
> This is going to be slowwwww burn but hopefully worth it? I don’t know. You decide.


	4. Chapter 4

Eves alarm goes off and she groans, she rolls over and types out a quick text to Niko, letting him know that the Russian Sleep Experiment was in full swing again last night. It was bad enough when the banging of the headboard against the adjoining wall had seeped into Eves dreams (something about an incessant woodpecker) but when Oksana had demanded “Tell me I’m the star baker!” In the throws of passion enough was enough. As Oksana was piling up her plate with pastries at the breakfast bar Eve decided to confront her.

“Good morning Eve!” She beamed, with the unmistakable glow of someone who’d spent all night fucking. 

“Is it?” Eve bit back

“Uh yeah? It’s showstopper day” she said between obnoxiously large bites of pain au chocolate.

Eve sighed “Look, whenever you and Nadia get up to is - against the rules but also - your business. I don’t know if you know but the walls are paper thin” and Eve was blushing, why should she be the one who was embarrassed.

“Oh. Hear anything you liked?” Oksana asked with a wolffish grin. 

Eves mouth dropped open but no words came out.

“Eve don’t be jealous” Oksana smirked and Eve would love to wipe that smug smile off her face.

“I’m not jealous! But we aren’t all 25 years old and able to get by on a few hours sleep”

“27” Oksana corrected, purposely missing the point. 

“Whatever. I need sleep Oksana” Eve crossed her arms across her chest “ if you and your friend don’t tone it down I might have to let the producers know exactly why it is I’m walking around with bags under my eyes”

Oksana wipes some flakes of pastry from the corner of her mouth and shrugs “then I’ll tell them your a bigot”

“What?!”

Oksana takes a step into Eves personal space “your making accusations because we’re both Russian? Or on the basis that were both gay? That’s pretty small minded of you”

“Oh no no, don’t you fucking-“

Oksana cuts her off “I’m going for a shower, see you later Eve”

***

“Hello bakers, welcome back to the tent it’s time for your showstopper challenge. Today the judges would like you to make a 3D biscuit table setting” Noel explains

“Yes they’d like you to sculpt your biscuit dough to make a highly decorative centrepiece, this can be any flavour of your choosing but must be free standing. The judges would like you to draw on your own hobbies, Interests or heritage. You have 2 and a half hours” Matt adds

“On your marks, get set, bake!” The two presenters chorused.

Eve flicks her oven on to pre-heat and immediately grabs some fresh ginger and starts to peel it with the back of a spoon (a tip her mother had taught her), time is of the essence if she’s to get her bake done in time. The tent is abuzz and it’s nerves and excitement. No one wants to be the first one sent home and after a turbulent first two rounds it all comes down to the showstopper. It’s anyone’s game. 

Pru and Paul step up to Oksanas workbench and the blonde comes to life.

“I’ll be making a 3D beehive, made of honey and zemon zest biscuits. I’ll also be making some cute little french meringue bees and honeycomb decorations”

“Is this the honey your using?” Pru points to the jar Oksana is not-so-subtly tapping her long manicured fingers against. 

Oksana looks delighted “Yes Pru that’s right, this raw honey is from my own ethical bee hive and I grew the lemons a in my garden so obviously they’re organic”

Eve can’t help the scoff that escapes her, when she feels 3 sets of eyes whip round to face her she fakes a small coughing fit and holds her hands up in way of an apology. Smug. Hipster. Asshole. 

“So your a keen beekeeper and a gardener?” Paul asks with a cocked eyebrow, rightly so Eve thinks, this girl doesn’t look the sort to her her hands dirty.

“Honestly Paul I’m only really in it for the hats, I have a great head for hats” Oksana offers as an explanation. Of course she does. Pru and Paul both chuckle at this, god isn’t she so endearing. Eve rolls her eyes. 

“I’m fascinated. Tell us more about your hive” Pru asks

“Thanks for asking Pru, they produce about 30lb of honey a season but that really depends on the weather and the quality of the wildflowers local to them. I grow Foxgloves and Marigolds, Forget-Me-Nots and Red Clovers on my garden which they love. I don’t use any pesticides or chemicals on my plants and flowers and I don’t pasteurise my honey. That means it retains its natural nutrients and antioxidants”

“Wow” Paul blinks “ Well I can’t wait to try some!”

Oksana dips her finger into the honey and offers it to Paul who laughs and shakes his head “No thanks” but looks like the rejection pains him, the young blonde is probably just his type and sucking raw honey off her fingers sounds like a wet dream. To him of course, not to Eve. Eve doesn’t much care for her. 

Noel appears from nowhere and dips his finger into the Kilner jar “mmm!” He proclaims “Oksana, what kind of bees live in graveyards?”

“Zom-BEES!”

***

“Hi Eve”

Eve is glad for the reprieve from Oksanas fluttering eyelashes and blatant playing up to the camera. 

“Hi Matt” Eve smiles as she registers a camera swinging round to face her

“Talk me through what your making”

“I’m making Maejakgwa which are a Korean ginger biscuit, then I’m going to use them to construct an edible Gyeongbokgung Palace and the decoration will be piped royal icing and some editable flowers” Eve shows Matt the rough sketch she had drawn. “Gyeongbokgung Palace was built in 1395 during the Jodeon Dynasty and was one of the largest Palaces of the era”

“Wow that looks very-“

“Intricate?” Eve nods “it’s not going to be easy, I had a few disasters in practice but if I get it right It’ll be stunning”

“Looking at the other bakers. What do you think of your chances? Are you feeling confident?”

Bill is making a festive Swedish gingerbread house with a waffle cone roof and desiccated coconut “snow” which sounds cute and smells good but is pretty basic. Elena is taking more of a risk and in a nod to her love of mans (woman’s?) best friend making an Italian rosemary shortbread Schnauzer with eggless royal icing “fur”. Eve isn’t sure what it is that Nadia is making, she has a pestle and mortar on her bench, a sink full of dishes but other than periodically burning her over-eager finger tips on caramel sugar glue there doesn’t seem to be much action at all. Again, Eve thinks Oksana is probably her biggest competition.

“I’m feeling pretty confident” she smiles as she takes her second batch of Maejakgwa out of the oven and turns them out into a cooling rack.

“Best of luck Eve” he grins.

Noel appears with a colander over his head and announces in his best robotic voice “You.have.one.hour.left”

***

When the 30 minute time call comes Eve is right on schedule, structure made she’s working on the delicate icing decoration and can see her masterpiece starting to come together. Bill has interrupted her twice and called her over to ask if his gingerbread looks overcooked (it is), each time she’s reassured him it looks fine. Annoyingly at this point Oksana is sat drinking a cup of tea and her Pinterest worthy Bee Hive looks amazing. When Nadia calls the blonde over to help hold some of her structure together while she literally pours sugar glue over it praying it’ll stick together Eve considers flipping Oksanas bake off the edge of the bench. How satisfying would that be, organic fucking raw honey broken biscuits all over the floor and no star baker for Oksana, boo hoo. 

“That lines wonkey” Eleana helpfully points out. Eve thanks her and decides to save her baking sabotage fantasies for a less critical moment. 

It’s Oksanas turn to present her bake first.

“That really does look amazing” 

“Thank you Pru, it’s turned out exactly how I wanted it ” Oksana puffs up her chest

Paul takes the first bite and it’s an anxious wait “Wow, that packs a punch, how much honey did you add?”

“Just a few spoonfuls” Oksana smiles 

“It’s a bit overpowering, and because your mixture was a bit wet the biscuits don’t have that perfect snap” Paul demonstrates, Oksana seethes.

Pru pushes her glasses back up the bridge of her nose “Very good attempt Oksana but I think this could be a case of style of substance” 

“Okay, thanks” Oksana picks up her showstopper and stomps back to her bench. Eve bites the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. 

Bills turn next and Pru clocks the overcooked gingerbread straight away and calls him out on it. He feigns surprise rather than admitting he burned it with no time to start over. Eleana gets some good critique, if she hadn’t bombed the technical she could be in with a good chance, that being said her signature did get some good feedback. Shit. 

Nadias up next, with something she’d described (badly) to the judges as a Russian Bend it like Beckham and kept telling them to “wait and see” and tapping her nose. In a tragic repeat of the previous days performance she ran out of time and even with a lot of help from Oksana her showstopper was unstable and unfinished. When it was time for her to present her bake she picked up the chopping board with plaster-clad fingers and made her way to the judges. Her shaking hands placed it down heavy-handidly on the bench and any structural integrity was ruined, broken headless football figures lay across a dry cracked “pitch”.

Oksana laughs outloud “Ha-Ha” and physically held her sides (lest they split?), which was cute but none the less not very chivalrous. 

Finally it was Eves turn. 

Paul’s face is totally neutral, he looks at Pru, then back to Eve. She raises her eyebrows, he snaps a biscuit and pops it in his mouth. More noncommittal nodding and eyebrow waggling. This is torture. And then- his hand, held out, waiting for Eve to grab onto it. A Paul Hollywood handshake! On her first ever Showstoper.

“Well done Eve” 

“Amazing work Eve” Pru nods

****

“I have the lovely job of announcing who the star baker is for this week” Matt beams “ this weeks star baker is......Eve!”

The other bakers burst into applause and Eve can’t help but look over in Oksanas direction. Fist resting in her lap, flared nostrils, jaw set, she looks furious. Good.

“And that means I have the very sad job of announcing who will be leaving us this week” Noel says solemnly “ The baker leaving us this week is....Nadia”

Eve works hard to school her expression, to furrow her brow and frown sympathetically in Nadias direction. She even manages to widen her eyes a little in “shock”. Inside she’s thrilled, who knows how long it’ll be until Oksana finds someone else to keep her bed warm but for now the Great-British-Fuckathon is over

**Author's Note:**

> Any thoughts? Any feelings about Chapter 1? Still with me?


End file.
